Fullerton T

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time C

Here we are fast approaching Lent. Believe it or not next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. We move forward as the Palm Branches left aside from last year are burned for the ashes and the Green vestments of Ordinary time give way to the Lenten purple. Here we go again comes to mind as it seems no time since we celebrated the start of the Lenten Fast in 2012. But whether we like it or not Lent starts on Wednesday and there will be much said about what we might do or not do   in the days ahead. That said back to today and our readings for this Sunday:

Why did Jesus perform the miracle of the great catch of fish? No doubt the great crowd of people who had pressed upon Jesus had something to do with this miracle. They were very hungry for God and were eager to hear his word are we that hungry when it comes to our weekly observance of our faith?

Jesus wanted to use this occasion to teach his disciples an important lesson.  Although Simon was wearied from a night of fruitless toil, he nonetheless pressed upon Jesus for his word of command: At your word I will let down the nets. When you meet disappointment and failure, do you press upon the Lord, like Simon, to hear his word and to receive his command? This incident tells us an important truth about how God works in and through us for his glory. God expects of us greater things than we can do by ourselves. When we cooperate in his works, we accomplish far beyond what we can do on our own for those who have faith all things are possible. When people respond to God’s word with faith and obedience they are changed and made “a new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God chooses ordinary people, like you and me, as his ambassadors and he uses the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives and work situations to draw others into his kingdom. Our lives in Christ depend upon an unlimited trust in the Lord, following his words with energy and hope even when his will for us leads into uncharted waters, when he commands that we “put out into the deep”,

even those well-plumbed depths which have in the past yielded up for us only empty nets will bear fruit in plenty. The readings today are all about vocation; the vocations of Isaiah, Paul and the Apostles. Each one of us has a vocation each one of us has been given the task of proclaiming the Good News in our daily lives, a calling from the Lord. Each one of us is commissioned through our baptism to be an Apostle of Christ in the world. Some are called to the very particular service of Priesthood or religious life but many others are called to the vocations of married or single life. There are so many other vocations I can’t think of them all but all of them have so much value in leading people to God. Whether we are helping in a food pantry in our local community, participating in mission trips across the world, or living amongst another culture for many years, it is the love for the other that is at the very heart and soul of the Christian notion of mission.

Having faith trusting in God, as Paul states in Corinthians, “We have such a hope, we act with great boldness.” We should have that boldness that comes from the realization that we are all Sons and Daughters of God and that God loves us all more than we can  imagine.  We are called, we are sent, to lead people to God.  Every action of our lives has purpose not just for ourselves but as beacons of hope for those who are seeking the Lord. The family Motto of my family is Light in the darkness we that is all of us are called to be the spiritual light that is meant to be set on hilltops so all can see.  We pray today for the courage to respond to the Lord’s summons to be his apostles with every action of our lives especially as we begin our observance of Lent during the Year of Faith.

4Th Sunday of Ordinary Time

This Sunday’s gospel passage is a continuation of last week’s reading when Jesus entered the synagogue and declared Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled. In that declaration, Jesus referred to himself as God’s servant, the Chosen One upon whom God had given his Spirit. Jesus’ mission was proof of that claim; he preached, taught, and healed in the name of God’s Kingdom. His simple, straightforward declaration would cause controversy to those who thought they knew “Joseph’s son.”  They brought him to the brow of the hill and were about to throw him over the edge but as it wasn’t his time he escaped through them and went away.

When Jesus came to his home town of Nazareth and began to teach, the local Jewish community was quite proud of him. After all, they had heard of the things that he had done at Capernaum and were convinced that he was some sort of prophet from God. They believed that Jesus had just won the lottery, so to speak, and was about to shower them with God’s favour because, after all, he was one of them, so of course that is what he would do. Besides, they agreed with what he was saying – at least at first. But as long as they were pleased, they were proud and they wanted to seen in the light of special favour from God.

When Jesus speaks to his home town synagogue, he’s speaking to us in our home town church, too. Paul echoes Jesus’ message, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” What does God’s love look like in your idea of church? Open the ears of your heart to listen for it, and your eyes to see and walk in grace to find out.

Prophets in every age are holy people that is people with God at the heart of their lives. They are uncompromising in their faithfulness to the word of God. They always speak the truth, regardless of the consequences, offering encouragement and hope to people who have no sense of meaning or purpose in life. They challenge people to repent for their sins and to seek God’s mercy. That is true compassion.

There is still a need for prophets in our society, men, women and even children who are faithful to their baptismal commitment. We need to listen to them and learn from them. Also, we need to remember that every Christian and that means all of us including you and me has to exercise the prophetic vocation in the world of work, leisure and family life, praying for the grace to fulfil this important part of our Christian life.

Being a Christian isn’t easy. Jesus never said that it was going to be an easy road to go along and we remember Good Friday and the Cross of Calvary.  Our faith as Christians calls us to live, to die to ourselves and be resurrected with Jesus over and over and over again.

With each time, our hearts get a little wiser, we know grace that much more deeply, and we are able to follow Jesus a little bit more down the road of love. Being a Christian is always going to have a cost no matter what way you look at it.  That is because good is always going to be opposed by evil and good always triumphs over evil and the evil that is within the world will never win. May we not be afraid of being what we are and that is people who are called by Jesus to follow him in faith.

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

THE THREE WISE MEN
JOURNEYING TO JERUSALEM

By long standing sacred tradition Christians celebrate Christmas as a season, with the twelve days between Christmas and the Epiphany as one long “Christmas day.” The season ends with the Baptism of the Lord which is also the first Sunday of ordinary time and that takes place next Sunday. Christmas celebrations with friends and family, decorations, and all of the other means of rejoicing, should continue throughout the season. We can never rejoice in the Lord’s birth too much. As Christians, we will very often find ourselves living in contradiction to the styles and preferences of the present age. We should get very much used to the fact that we will face conflict among friends, and even at times within families, as we seek, more generously and more regularly, to live out and celebrate the mysteries of our redemption in Christ Jesus.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”(Is 60:1) Isaiah the prophet describes the glory of Jesus Christ, who is “full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father”(Jn 1:14), our Messiah. The prophet also foretells the reality of those first three wise men, who represent the kings and the peoples of the whole earth, all of whom are called to realize their full dignity as sons and daughters of God in worship and praise of him for his glory and goodness. “Above you (US) the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.” (Is 60:2-3)

The story of the magi  or the three wise men carries with it an extraordinary richness. In it the evangelist teaches us about the mission of the Son of God. Jesus is ‘made manifest’ (epiphany = manifestation) as Messiah not only for his own people, but for those who come ‘from the east’, for all the peoples of the earth. At the same time this is the Messiah heralded by the prophets. The Scriptures are fulfilled.

This Messiah is born into danger, as the cruel tyrant, known to history as ‘Herod the Great’, is the first to threaten his life. The gift of myrrh alludes to the death he is to suffer. The presentation of gifts from the peoples of the world completes the Christmas scene. The magi represent the nations, but also the age-old quest among the peoples of the earth for true wisdom. This wisdom is found in Christ. May we not be afraid in the year that has just begun to seek the wisdom that God wants for us, that is the wisdom and the light of faith

The Feast of the Holy Family

THE HOLY FAMILY

Every year, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph on the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas. And that means a celebration of family life — births, weddings, funerals, anniversaries. In the first reading, we hear about a joyful birth — that of Samuel. After years of prayer, Hannah and Elkanah are granted a son. As soon as Samuel is weaned, his mother fulfils her promise and gives him up to the Lord’s service at the shrine at Shiloh. We in our parish have a particular reason to celebrate as we are the Parish of the Holy Family. As an example for us to follow, the Holy Family can seem a little too perfect: when we consider the more “dramatic” events of the Christmas and Easter stories, it can seem so far removed from us. And yet, as today’s Gospel reminds us there were also the so-called “hidden years” – the many years of family life in Nazareth, spent in doing ordinary family things. During that time, we hear how Jesus grew and matured, and in the glimpse of that family life we see our example. Our celebration of this feast announces that there is a lasting value in the ideals of family life especially when so many are denigrating what it means to be a family as well as the relationship between husband, wife, parents and children. Whatever the changing details of each age, honour, understanding and love always remain the recipe for the perfect, and holy, human family.

Today we remember the care that Mary and Joseph gave to Jesus. We recognize the sacrifice they made for Jesus, in the same way as we recognise the sacrifices our own parents made for us  and many more  are making for their children today in our I want I get world.   

Our families would find the disagreements, stressful relationships, and resentments that spoil the joy of family harmony so much easier to solve by imitating the faith and loving trust of the Holy Family. “Lord Jesus, you came to restore us to unity with the Father in heaven. Where there is division, bring healing and pardon. May all peoples and families find peace, wholeness, and unity in you, the Prince of Peace and Saviour of the world.”

CHRISTMAS DAY 2012

Well  we are nearly at the great day itself CHRISTMAS DAY so happy Christmas wherever you are. For the last four weeks of advent we have been looking forward to the coming of Christ into our world with all its ups and downs and lumps and bumps along the road of life. We have completed our advent observance with all its preparation and now we celebrate with gifts and happiness all around So now  then let us rejoice in the Lord, not in the world; that is, rejoice in faithfulness and not in iniquity; rejoice in the hope of eternity and not the brief flower of vanity that is part of our  daily lives.  During these days of Christmas celebration we will often have occasion to sing as the angels did long ago, “Glory to God in the highest!” At this time when we celebrate the birth of “a saviour who has been born for” us, the One who is “Wonder- Counsellor and  Prince of Peace,” the One who is “a great light” in the darkness of war and strife around us, we welcome an opportunity to put aside our cares and worries, bask in the joy and generosity of the season, and sing out our “Glory to God in the highest as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  None of us will travel to Bethlehem to behold the  newborn infant lying in the manger in the way the shepherds and the wise men did in their time. But all of us travel the road of daily life, and we are called to see Jesus the newborn Infant in the youngster who needs companionship, the teenager who needs a listening ear, the parent who needs a helping hand, the older person who needs someone to care to name but a few there are so many others. We remember in a special way all those who have died since last Christmas and we keep their families in our thoughts and prayers. Some of our Christmas customs seem to turn away from Christ. Or do they? The giving of gifts expresses love of the other person. Festive decorations set this season apart from all others. Santa Claus was originally St. Nicholas, a bishop remembered for his generosity. Every letter sent and received bears the stamp of this special season, tidings of good will, and a reminder that those who are far away are close to us in mind and heart. The customs of this season are veiled announcements of one message: Christ is born for us. To remove the veil, to hear the good news, we gather together in our churches =. There the message of Christmas speaks loud and clear. The Letter to the Hebrews says, “In times past, God spoke in  various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.”

The customs of Christmas speak the message in partial ways, but God speaks the message clearly through his Son, who is born in our midst this day. on this day the whole community of heaven joins with all believers of good will on earth in a jubilant song of praise for the good news proclaimed by the angels: Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people, for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11). So with Mary and Joseph with the shepherds and Angels and the Arch Angels and the whole company of heaven    Come let us adore him Christ the Lord.

This weekend we come to the last Sunday of the Advent season. In our churches we light the last purple candle as well as the other three leaving the last candle the white one for the first Mass of Christmas Day. It’s only in this last week before Christmas that we begin to hear about the “Christmas story” itself. For the past weeks we have been preparing ourselves to greet the Lord, when he comes. Now we prepare to remember how he first came, by listening to the prophecies of his coming, and by hearing of the events before his birth. We meet Mary, who herself had been prepared for the coming of the Messiah. She has received the angel’s greeting, and his strange news, and has accepted her role in God’s plan. Now she hurries to her kinswoman, Elizabeth, who herself bears John the Baptist in her womb. John,  alerts us to the presence of the Lord, as he leaps for joy in his mother’s womb. His joy is that God has kept his promise, and is with his people.

On the days before the feast of Christmas, and on this final Sunday, the gospel read at Mass is taken from the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel or the first chapter of Luke’s. Today’s gospel passage is unique because it presents a meeting between the mothers of the two men. The story, known as the ‘Visitation’, follows the account of the Annunciation to Mary of the coming birth of the Saviour, which ended with Mary’s ‘Yes’ to God and her words, ‘let what you have said be done to me’. (Luke 1:38) As Mary welcomed the coming of the Lord into her body, now John, as yet unborn, welcomes his arrival too. If we continue to read the gospel beyond today’s passage we hear the words of Mary’s hymn of thanksgiving, the Magnificat, prayed daily by the Church at Evening Prayer.This last Sunday of Advent gives us a brief time to reflect upon and kindle within ourselves the light of the incarnate Lord. The foundation is laid for what we will find at the manger.

Now as  having made our final preparation to join the shepherds and the angels in their Joy, great joy in what God has done for us we go forth in peace to greet the Lord remembering that Jesus Christ the Son of God the light in the darkness is the reason for the season.